Burners too big on cooktop

Question

I have a gas cooktop with 4.25" burners and it is propane and so it burns hot. The problem is that it is difficult to cook things in small saucepans, like the typical 5" saucepan because the flames do not heat the bottom of the saucepan, they go up the sides of the pot and scorch the sauce residue that is on the sidewall of the saucepan.

Is there any solution to this (other than getting a whole new cooktop)?

Two things: 1) This may be a question for the Home Improvement Stack - as they do deal with things like this form time to time. 2) Could you please post the model of you cook top along with a picture of the unit? — J Crosby, Jul 12 '19 at 15:19

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 12 '19 at 15:30

3

I found a potential solution to this problem. There is a type of gas heat diffuser called a "reducer ring" that is useful for protecting small pots from big burners. It looks like this:

It is also possible to use a full size diffuser, that operates like a hot plate on top of the burner.

answered Jul 12 '19 at 15:30

Drisheen Colcannon

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Yes, it is possible. There is only one risk to that, when you buy a diffuser make sure it is high heat rated, and made of preferably cast iron (so it evenly distributes the heat for you.) – J Crosby Jul 12 '19 at 15:47
@JCrosby Do they make diffusers for gas stove burners that are not "high heat rated"? – Rob Jul 13 '19 at 12:47
Yes, they could. Some companies make "cheaper" diffuesers for camping and the like, so those would not be rated for as high a tempurature as ones we would need in a kitchen. – J Crosby Jul 13 '19 at 23:17

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 13 '19 at 13:13

You could use a double boiler.

source

The bottom is full of water. Above it is the pot with your sauce. You cannot get anything hotter than boiling this way so you can't fry an egg. But for sauces it is great. It will solve your problem and double boilers are good for sauces anyway because the water caps the heat at boiling and so reduces your risk of scorching the sauce on the bottom of the pan.

You can fake a double boiler - I routinely do. I put a big pot of water on and then I have a little Visionware glass saucepan I float in the water. That is how I melt chocolate chips.

Burners too big on cooktop

2 Answers2